Return of Friendship
by a-promise-of-love-and-life
Summary: This story takes place about 5,500 years after the events in season 3 episode 13. Princess Twilight Sparkle rules Equestria now, but what happened to Celestia? This is mostly OC's with really just Twilight being the only non OC.
1. Starlight

Starlight sat in the chariot pulled by two snow white stallions in gold armor next to Zephyr. The young Griffon sat there writing something down a scroll, deep in concentration. Starlight used the magic his horn produced to pull out the letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle from his saddle bag. He read it over once again. It contained the details of his task, with the address' of each pony he was to visit and the address of the library he would be staying in.

"Oh good, I needed that." Zephyr reached out a talon to take the letter from Starlight.

"What are you writing?" Starlight asked.

"It's a checklist. So that we don't lose track of all the things we need to do."  
"I know what a checklist is for." Star sighed. "What do you make of all this, Zephyr?"

"I think it'll be tons of fun! I mean, I've never been anywhere but Canterlot. It's not Cloudsdale, but Ponyville should be just as fun!"

"But look at this! Meet some new ponies? Have some fun?! How can I afford to do such distracting things? Make those things optional on your list; we are here to make sure the Summer Sun Celebration is all going to according to plan. Not make friends."

"Yessir!" Star ruffled the feathers on her head. He was so grateful to have such a good assistant and friend.

The chariot touched down in the center of Ponyville. Star walked out, Zephyr fluttering close behind.

"Thanks guys!" Star called behind him. "Ok Zephyr, first thing on our checklist… Zephyr?" He looked back once again. She was trying to fly next to him, not incredibly successful. He rolled his eyes and surrounded her in a white magical aura, lifting her onto his back. "Checklist?"

"Sorry Star! First we need to find a pony named Song Bird; she's in charge of the music. She lives in-" She never got to finish her sentence. She got cut off when Star was rammed into.

"Ugh…" Star sat, clutching his head. He had been hit head on, and the contents of his saddle bag lay scattered in the dirt road.

"Oh my Twilight, I am incredibly sorry!" A forest green pegasus mare stood up and began picking up the mess she had created. "My friends always tell me how clumsy I am."

"No worries…" Star stood up and cleaned up everything with his magic. He put all of his stuff in his bags and held the mare's stuff in midair: a guitar, kazoo and a saddle bag full of various produce. He placed the bag on her back. As he handed her the musical instruments he was finally able to look at her. Her golden blond mane covered one eye, and a small pink streak peeked out from the back. She had intense blue eyes, and her cutie mark was a treble clef and base clef making a heart. "My name's Starlight and this is Zephyr. Are you, by any chance, the one they call Song Bird?"

The winged pony looked surprised. "Yes, I am actually! You aren't from around here, yet you know my name. Nice to meet you Starlight."

"How do you know I'm not from here?"

"A handsome stallion like you, I would remember." She smiled. "What brings you to Ponyville?"

"I'm here by orders of the Princess to make sure all the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration are coming together. According to my letter, you are in charge of music."

"Oh you're from Canterlot! Well I'm just headed home now to rehearse, not that I'm unprepared! Just want to be able to do it all right. Heheh… I can show you around first if you want though, I know just about everyone in Ponyville." She smiled really big, very warm and inviting.

"Well, um…"

"Sure! We would love for you to show us around!" Zephyr put her front talons on Star's head, cutting him off.

"Ok! Your little griffon friend is adorable." Zephyr smiled at the praise. "Where do you guys need to head to next?"

"We need to see somepony named Scribe." Star said.

"Oh ok! Just follow me! She should be at her cottage." Song Bird skipped along ahead. Star held out Zephyr in front of him, just to glare at her. She just smiled innocently. He put her back, shaking his head as he did. Song stopped suddenly and Star nearly ran into her. They were at a small cottage with a grass roof. A twisted path went up to the front door.

"It's cute." Zephyr said, getting back on Star's head.

"Isn't it? This is Scribe's place." Song walked up to the front door and tapped a fore hoof on the pink-ish wood. "Scribe!? It's Song!"

"Let yourself in! The doors unlocked." The voice was soft. Song opened the door and walked in, Star close behind. The inside sort of looked like a small hurricane went through. Paper was strewn around the room, some written or painted on. Quills were everywhere, so were paint brushes. Cans of paint, unopened or empty, some half full ink bottles, also lie around.

Star whispered to Song. "Does it always look like this?"

"Only when she's working on a big project." She whispered back. Star saw Scribe sitting at a desk towards the back of the room. She was a pale purple unicorn with a mint green mane. She had a long piece of paper in front of her and was using magic to levitate a paint brush around. She spoke without looking up or breaking her concentration.

"Hey Song, what brings you here?"

"Scribe, this is Starlight. He's-"

"I'm Princess Twilight's personal student at her school for gifted unicorns, here from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. According to my letter you are making the decorations." Star cut her off. The word Canterlot caught her attention. She looked up to reply.

"Well Starlight, it's wonderful to meet you." She said with a smile. "I'm just finishing up this last banner and then I'll be taking them to the town square."

"Wonderful! Well, we'll just be off." He started to turn around to head out.

"Wait!" She ran over to a pile of some small articles of clothing. She pulled out a piece of white and yellow fabric. Upon closer inspection he realized it was a white bowtie with a yellow sun. "Here you go. Consider it a welcome gift!" Star took the tie with his magic and handed it to Zephyr, who placed it in his saddle bag.

"Thank you very much, Scribe." He nodded curtly and he and Song headed out.

"See you later Scribe!" Song called behind her. Once down the path Song looked at Zephyr. "Where to next?"

"We need to find a pegasus by the name of Thunder Crack." Zephyr replied, pulling out her checklist.

"Hmm… He might be a little bit more difficult to find. We can start with his house though. Which will also be difficult to find."  
"Does his house not stay in one place?" Star questioned.

"Well, no." Song dropped her saddlebag. "Watch this for me." And with that, she took to the skies. Star watched as she elegantly flapped her wings. She did a flip in midair and let out a "Woohoo!" The way she moved through the air was as though she was a dancer performing in a ballet.

"Ooh! Star's got a little crush!" Zephyr mocked.

"What?! No!" He defended. "We are here strictly on business. Not to make friends, much less special someponies."

"I'm not stupid. Or blind. I can see the way you're looking at her. But hey, if you just want to ignore it that's cool." He just rolled his eyes. Song came back down, looking like she was having the absolute best time of her life.

"Man, there is NO better feeling than flying. Ok, his house isn't far from here; it's tethered to the fountain in the center of town. If you don't mind, I'll just hover. This is really awesome." She used her nose to place the saddle bag over her flank.

"Ooh! Can I ride on you? Please?" Zephyr begged.

"Sure thing!"

"Yes! Star, if you could do the honors." Star rolled his eyes once again, but reluctantly levitated her up to Song's neck. He trotted along the road, following the two winged creatures in the sky. It made him feel really good to see Zephyr getting to truly feel the wind in her feathers. She was only a baby griffon and couldn't yet fly. Star never really came into contact with any pegasi at a school for unicorns, and couldn't do anything for her little problem.

They entered the town square, which was bustling with activity. It seemed like everypony in town was getting ready for the rising of the Summer Sun in two days. Sure enough, as Song had said, a rope tied to the fountain led up to what looked like a house made entirely of clouds.

"There it is!" Song yelled. She landed next to Star and placed Zephyr on the ground next to him. "I'll tell him to come down." She flew up and walked across the clouds, right through the cloud door. Soon she came back out with a white pegasus stallion with an electric blue mane and a yellow lightning shaped streak running through it. His cutie mark was a grey cloud with a blue and yellow lightning bolt coming out of it. The two of them flew down and landed in front of Star.

"You must be Thunder Crack." Star said.

"The one and only!" He said, puffing out his chest. "And you're Starlight, here to make sure the Summer Sun Celebration is coming together."

"Yep, and the sky looks pretty clear, so you're getting your job done. Only, your house is going to have to move."

"Yeah, I can do that. No worries Star, the sky will be perfect." He galloped over to untie his house and begin dragging it to the outskirts of Ponyville.

The trio stopped by a few other places, including Sugar Cube Corner, the local bakery. The Cake family has passed down ownership of said bakery through the generations for years. Food was all good, the current Cakes insisted upon them trying it all. Song and Zephyr were overjoyed, but Star wasn't a huge fan of sweets. After a pretty much complete tour of Ponyville, they stopped off at the concert hall that was Song's home.

"Well, it looks like this is it." She said at her front door. "This was really fun. We should hang out again before you have to go back to Canterlot." She smiled.

"Thanks a bunch. Goodnight."

"Oh yeah!" She paused before entering her house. "The library is just down the road. It's really a big tree, so it shouldn't be hard to miss. Goodnight Starlight. Heh, I'm a poet and I didn't know it." And she disappeared into her house, leaving Star alone with Zephyr in the diming light.

Star and Zephyr walked along in silence. They approached what must have been the library as it was, what do you know, a big tree. Star unlocked the door and entered the library. He felt carefully up the wall until he hit the light switch. The lights flicked on and Star's mouth hung open. Bookshelves covered every wall and they were filled with books of every genre. It would take him weeks to read them all, even with his advance reading speed.

"How many are you going to read tonight?" Zephyr asked.

"Believe it or not, none. I am so tired and really need to get my rest in order to help with the preparations tomorrow." He walked up the stairs to the little loft bedroom. He placed his saddle bag on the dresser when something yellow caught his eye. It was a sticky note. It read simply: I placed a few books you may be interested in on the shelf above. Your teacher, Princess Twilight Sparkle. _The princess, always looking out for me. _He thought to himself. He walked over to his bed. Next to his was a smaller, more baby-griffon sized bed.

"Yo, Zephyr, found your bed."

"Sweet!" Zephyr shot up the stairs and leaped into her bed. Star snuggled up in his bed. He fell asleep thinking of the pegasus mare known as Song Bird.


	2. Song Bird

"Zephyr! Zephyr! For the love of Twilight, get UP!"

Star sat in the dining area in the library. In front of him sat a breakfast of fruit and coffee. Also a book lay open, a history book. He used his magic to flip through the pages, pausing when he reached a marker, left by the princess. Zephyr walked in, rubbing her eyes, her feathers ruffled in several different directions.

"What did you have to get me up for?" She asked.

"Well first, you have to get up at some point." He said, not looking up. "And second, you need to eat." He gestured toward the small breakfast he laid out for her. "Also, when you're done, you need to write a letter to the princess." Zephyr spit the orange juice out she had been drinking.

"A letter? Now? It's like eight o'clock in the morning. The princess is sleeping. And what could be so urgent you can't wait till you see her at the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow?"

"Because if this book is correct, there won't be a Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow." Star replied solemnly. Zephyr spit out her orange juice again. "Zephyr you're making a mess."

"What do you mean 'There won't be a Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow'?!"

"Well according to this, Princess Twilight Sparkle isn't the first ruler of Equestria. There were a few before her. Some were evil, like this thing named Discord." He lifted the book with magic to show Zephyr.

"Ugh, what IS that thing?"

"A draconequus. That's not the point though. It says here that for a few thousand years two sisters ruled Equestria. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They were great rulers and then Princess Luna became evil and was banished to the moon. The elements of harmony brought her back though. All was great until the older sister became corrupted. She couldn't handle the pressure and snapped. She became Solar Flare and… flew into the sun…" He paused, a confused look on his face. "She vowed to one day destroy Equestria, bringing intense heat upon everypony. Luna was so depressed that she relinquished her position and nopony has seen her since. This is what led Princess Twilight to power."

"Ok, so? She isn't exactly a threat in the sun."

"Wait, I'm not finished. It says on the longest day in the five thousandth year, she will return to exact her revenge. And according to this, that's tomorrow. Princess Twilight must have known, and that's the real reason I'm here. To warn everypony. But what good will that do? They'll just panic and then where will we be? Anyway, you need to take a letter."

"Done and done!"

"Good! Hold on a sec…" Star powered up his horn with the spell that would transport the letter to the princess. A small green flame burst from the tip and burned the letter. It became a wisp of purple energy, and it was on its way to the princess. "Wonderful! Now, I've got to go get ready for the day."

The unicorn stallion trotted into the bathroom, taking a cold shower. He dried off and his navy blue coat shimmered. He brushed out his long purple mane. He looked at his cutie mark in the mirror, a white, eight pointed star with three little stars around it.

"Star! Star the princess wrote back!" Star used magic to do a teleportation spell into the kitchen.

"What did she say?!" He practically screamed.

"Woah, take a chill pill. I'll read it." She cleared her throat. "My dearest student, I truly do value your opinion in almost any matter. But for right now, you need to calm down and relax. I'm asking you again to take into strong consideration the things I asked of you in my original letter. Meet some new ponies and have some fun! Your teacher, Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Star was silent for a moment. "Ok. Ok! You know what? The preparations are coming together just fine! I guess I do have some time to relax… I'm going to go and relax with a nice book. The _Chaos Trotting _trilogy was sounding really good. I'm going to go see if I can find the first one." He began trotting into the main room.

"What about me?" Zephyr asked.

"Here, why don't you read this?" Star passed her a thinner book.

"What is it?"

"It's a book on aerodynamics."

"What's that?"

"Read it and find out!" Star settled down in the main room of the library with the first book. He had had his eye on it for a while and was happy to be able to start it. Although the many grammatical and spelling errors were getting on his nerves. It didn't feel like very long before the door opened and a pony walked in calling his name.

"Star? Star, are you in here?" The voice had a sing-song quality to it, which he knew meant it was Song Bird. He put his book down and cantered into the door area.

"Yeah, I'm coming." He came in and saw her standing there, that cheerful/nervous smile on her face that just about made him melt. He mentally slapped himself, no distractions today if he wanted to figure out his little Solar Flare issue. "Hey Song, what can I do for you?"

"Well I was wondering if I could do something for you. Scribe, Thunder and I are going to have some lunch and then hang at my place. I was wondering if you wanted to come."

Star thought about it for a moment. The princess did say he should meet some new ponies and have some fun. And maybe they knew something about all this. "Sure, sounds fun. I'll go and tell Zephyr she needs to watch over the library and I'll be right back."

"Yay! Take your time, I'll still be here." She smiled again. He did a full on gallop into the kitchen area.

"Zeph, I'll be back soon. Just watch over the library while I'm gone, and don't do anything stupid."

"Yessir!" Zephyr put her talon at salute and marched into the main room. Star trotted out behind and followed Song.

"Scribe and I have been friends since kindergarten." She told him on the way. "Sometimes I think she knows me better than I know me."

"It must be awesome having a friend like that. Don't get me wrong, I love Zephyr, but I've only had her around for a short time, and I'm sort of raising her."

"You've never had a best friend?"

"Well, I discovered magic at a young age and became the princess' student pretty young too. Since then it's been all about studying."

"Well, you can focus on your studies and still have friends."

"I guess. The unicorns at the school all have friends that go there, but I'm the only one that's the princess' personal student."

"Well, you have a friend now! I may not be a unicorn, but hey, friends are nothing if they don't accept who you are." Star was taken aback. He had only known Song for a day, and she was willing to call him a friend? _Is this how all friendships work? _He thought to himself.

They reached a cute little café where Scribe and Thunder were already waiting at a mushroom table. They waved us over and we took our seats.

"How's it going?" Scribe asked.

"You both met Star yesterday, right?" Song said.

"Yeah! Welcome to Ponyville bro." Thunder punched Star's shoulder.

"Thanks for the warm welcome." Star said. Song smiled. A waitress came by and placed four waters at the table.

"Hello." She smiled "I'll be your server today. Can I get you guys anything?"

"Well hello. My names Thunder and you can be my server any day." Scribe and Song rolled their eyes. They waitress giggled slightly and rolled her eyes.

"I'll have a daisy sandwich." Scribe ordered.

"Same here please!" Song said.

"Can I have a Caesar salad?" Star asked. The waitress nodded.

"Well, I'll have whatever you recommend." Thunder continued to flirt.

Scribe butt in. "He'll have a garden salad." The waitress took the orders back into the café.

"You're insane." Scribe said to Thunder.

"What can I say?" He shrugged. The two of them argued for a few more minutes.

"You know what, whatever." Scribe said finally. "So Star, you're personal student to the princess. What's that like?"

"Yeah man, that's gotta be awesome." Thunder said.

"Well, yeah. It is pretty cool." The waitress brought over the food.

"Are you close to the princess?" Song asked.

"Well, yeah. She's like a mother, no, sister to me." He took a bite of the salad.

"So, you go to a school for gifted unicorns. What does that mean? You're really smart and good with magic?" Scribe asked.

"Well, I guess it does."

"What kinda tricks you got?" Thunder asked.

"All sorts of stuff. You guys might have to come over and I'll put on a little show for you."

"That sounds awesome!" Song exclaimed.

"But you aren't in Ponyville too long." Scribe butt in. "You aren't staying very long after the Summer Sun Celebration." Song looked very disappointed.

"Well, someday. I promise you that." It was directed at all three of the friendly ponies, but he looked at Song while saying it. They continued to talk and Star would nod every once in a while. His body was at a little café in Ponyville, but his mind was 5,000 years into the past. All he could think about was the supposed return of Solar Flare and what that would mean for this little town, and Equestria. She would be powerful; she held the power to burn all of Equestria, and before she became corrupted, could raise both the sun and moon. According to the book, only the elements of harmony could stop her.

"Star?" He looked up at the sound of his name. "Come on!" Song called. Star stood up and galloped over to the trio.

"So, Song's place, right?" Star asked.

"Well that was the plan, but I need to work on a book. You know us authors; we got all sorts of deadlines." Scribe told the others. "I'll see you guys later." And she trotted off, back to her cottage.

"Yeah, I have stuff to do too. Being a weather pegasus and all, the sky must be completely clear for the Summer Sun Celebration." Thunder said. Star looked up and noticed a few clouds. Thunder took off, his white wings glinting in the sun light.

"So, I guess it's just me and you." Song said.

"I guess so." He and Song walked to her concert hall. It was easier for him to see it in the light. It was beautiful. A huge building, the architecture allowing maximum acoustics.

"Come on in! The hall itself is clean, the living space, not so much." Star was amazed by what he was looking at. There was a stage, he had seen larger, but this was meant for Song Bird. Rows and rows of seats lined the rest of the hall. "How about a little concert?" Song was up on the stage with her microphone and the guitar she had been carrying the day before. She smiled again.

"Sure, why not?" Star took a seat, front and center. Song sat down, adjusted the microphone, and began playing the acoustic guitar. She was amazing with the guitar, that's when she began to sing. Star was mesmerized. He had never heard anything so beautiful such as that. When she finished Star clapped and cheered and whistled. Her bashful smile was enough for him to know how much she appreciated it.

"You're amazing! You truly deserve your name and cutie mark." Star told her.

"Oh, thank you!" She came down from the stage and sat down next to him. "It is what I do, but it means a lot when someone tells me I'm good at something I love."

"I can understand that." Star told her. He made a quick realization, he needed to ask her about the elements of harmony, see if she knew anything. "Hey, uh, I know this is really random, but would you happen to know anything about these things called the elements of harmony?"

She looked at him with confusion. "Well, no. Why do you ask?"

"I just read something somewhere and was still a little confused, but it's ok." Star stood up and began heading for the door. "I'm going to head home. Zephyr is probably freaking out."

"Oh, well thanks a whole bunch for hanging out today. It's awesome to have a friend as smart as you; none of my other friends get it when I give a random fact or something." Star smiled as he left the concert hall.

"Thanks to you too." He said. He walked back to the library, with two things on his mind: Song Bird and how friendly she is, and this whole elements of harmony, return of Equestria's most powerful villain thing. Of course, nothing a little reading and research can't fix!


	3. The Elements

"Zephyr! Find me a book on the elements of harmony!" Star stormed into the library, immediately shouting for Zephyr.

"Oh I had a great time! Thank you for asking. How was your day?"

"Sorry, I'm a little flustered. I had a pretty good time." Star walked into a little office-like area of the tree and paced around. The cool thing about the library was that in every room the walls were lined with books.

"I found one! Where are you?" Zephyrs voice echoed throughout the tree.

"Office." Zephyr came in carrying a book with a golden horse head on the cover. Star levitated the book in front of him and began flipping through the pages. He found a page and began reading aloud.

"The elements of harmony are supernatural artifacts which are thought to be the most powerful force in all of Equestria. Some argue that they don't even exist. Those who say that they do, say that they can be unstable, some disappearing for long periods of time until there is a pony strong enough to wield them. The elements will even themselves out, meaning that if some disappear, the others become stronger. There are currently six known elements, honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, loyalty and magic. Many believe that there are others waiting for the proper ponies to wield them."

"Wow." Zephyr said after a pause. "That makes it sound like they're… alive almost…"

"Sounds pretty likely that they are. The most powerful force in Equestria… We're going to need to find these, and the ponies to wield them before it's too late." Star looked outside. It was already dark out! "Zephyr, what time is it?"

"Around ten. Why?"

"Weird, the sun was setting when I got here…" Zephyr just rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to get you some food. You need your strength to stay up the rest of the night." Star nodded and continued to read, hoping to find some information on how to find the elements and the ponies to wield them. Zephyr came back with a plate of crackers and perched on the back of a chair in order to read over Star's shoulder. He was attempting to concentrate on finding some information, but who can do anything with a baby griffon looking over their shoulder?

"Zephyr, can you do me a favor?" He asked, turning around to face her.

"Of course!" She said, snapping to attention.

"I need you to go into town and do one last check to make sure all the preparations are still going according to plan, then report back to me."

"Sir, yes sir!" She jumped from the chair and trotted out the door. Star breathed a sigh of relief. He continued reading the page on the finding of the elements.

_The elements have been known to return to the ruins of an ancient castle deep in the Everfree Forest when there is no longer a need for them. They can only be activated by the correct ponies and a spark._

Star took a bite of the crackers and chewed thoughtfully. _Maybe when the spark activates the elements, the ponies would appear? _He thought. _They are _supernatural_ artifacts after all. _He continued to eat the crackers but eventually fell asleep on his book.

_Star looked around. He was deep in the Everfree forest, but it was light as day! He tried calling for someone, anyone, but his voice got lost and never quite left his mouth. Suddenly he saw the reason it wasn't dark. Flames licked at the trees and it was moving fast towards him. He tried to run, but it was like his hooves were covered in honey! He tried to scream for help but it got caught in his throat. He turned around as the flames engulfed him in a cover of red._

_ He looked around and he was suddenly in the tree library in Ponyville. All around him the books on the shelves were burning! In the middle of the floor was a hole leading to a pool of lava. Zephyr hung on the edge and called for his help. He tried to run and help her, but now it was more like his hooves had been glued to the floor. He still couldn't call for help and was forced to watch as his little griffon, whom was like his own daughter, fall to her death._

_ Then he found himself in the town center in Ponyville. As the town burned around him, Scribe, Song Bird, and Thunder Crack stood in front of him. Scribe and Thunder were yelling at him. They told him it was his entire fault and just said "You're nothing! You're nothing!" over and over again. Song just stood in the middle and cried. He tried telling them he didn't know about it, but the words just couldn't make it. Suddenly Thunder and Scribe stopped and Song walked forward. She simply asked him "Why Starlight?"He couldn't form the words and just started crying right there. _

_ Star was standing in the Canterlot castle door way. Flames came through the door and this time he was able to run. He galloped at full speed into the castle's throne room. Princess Twilight sat at her throne and looked at him with pure disappointment on her face._

_ "Starlight!" Her voice echoed throughout the large room. "You have failed. You have failed Ponyville, you have failed Canterlot and you have failed all of Equestria. But most of all, you have failed _ME!"_ Star tried to beg for forgiveness, but he was still unable. "Starlight the unicorn, you are banished from Equestria. You shall live out your days in the Everfree Forest, so that you can't cause anymore damage. I'm very disappointed." Star fell to the floor, tears streaming down his face._

"Star?" Star looked up at his griffon. He picked her up and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh Zephyr! You do know I love you right?" He asked her.

"Of course! I love you too." She told him, slightly confused. "You're sort of collapsing my lungs." Star put her down.

"Right, sorry." Star looked across the room at the mirror on the wall. "Ah! Zephyr can you bring me my hairbrush?" She ran into the bathroom and brought back the brush. "Thanks." Star said absent mindedly. He brushed out the bed-head he had gotten.

"You have to hurry! The Summer Sun Celebration is about to start!" Star ran into the little bed room and put on a white collar. He almost went for his black tie, but he noticed the bowtie Scribe had given him. He tied it around the collar and examined himself in the mirror. The tie went really well with his cutie mark! Star looked over and saw a large white ribbon with little suns all over it.

"Zephyr!" The little griffon came into the bedroom. "Sit on the stool!" She did as she was told and sat down. Star removed the purple bow Zephyr normally tied in her feathers and tied the new ribbon into her feathers behind her head. "There! Now you're festive!" He said with a smile.

"Thanks Star!" She climbed onto the unicorn's back and they headed out to join all the other residents in the town hall. Star looked into the town hall. He saw Scribe standing towards the front, but off to the side. She wore a ribbon similar to Zephyr's on her ear and she was looking at the beautiful decoration she had made. Thunder was flying by a window just above Scribe. He had a collar like Star's, but he was wearing a yellow tie with a white sun. He looked up to the stage and saw Song Bird at the piano. She looked absolutely stunning in a short, shimmering yellow dress with her mane braided and tied off with a white ribbon.

Star made his way to the front to stand by Scribe. "Hi." He said to the pastel unicorn as he walked up.

"Hey Star! Oh, I just knew that bow would look good on you!" Star beamed and Zephyr jumped up to his head. "Oh Zephyr, you look darling! Come over and sit on me." Her horn lit up with a deep pink and she carried Zephyr and placed her on her back.

"Your decorations look fantastic." Star said.

"Oh thank you! You seem a bit tense, is everything ok?" Scribe had a concerned look on her face.

"Everything is fine!" He reassured her. She smiled. They both looked to the stage at the sound of someone tapping a microphone. The mayor stood on the stage ready to speak. Song began to play the piano softly.

"Welcome everyone to the five thousandth Summer Sun Celebration!" Everypony cheered. "As you all know, it is being hosted right here in Ponyville this year! So, please, give your respect to Princess Twilight Sparkle!" She gestured towards a small stage above her. A pony up there pulled a rope to pull back the curtain to reveal… Nopony was there. Everypony in the building gasped and the music stopped abruptly.

"The princess is missing!" The rope-pulling pony called.

"Is anypony else getting hotter?" A pony from the back called. He was met with nods and murmurs of agreement. Within an instant the sun was in the middle of the sky, as if it was noon. A small flame burst forth from the smaller stage and from it came a tall, deep red alicorn. She wore the shoes and necklace of royalty plus a war helmet. Her mane and tail looked like it was made of fire and her cutie mark was a white sun with an even deeper red burst around it. Everypony in the room screamed.

"Oh it's just lovely to see my subjects all gathered here for my celebration!" This new pony called in a booming voice. "You all seem surprised to see me, strange."

"What did you do to the princess?!" Thunder called.

"Oh you needn't worry about her. Now why is it nopony remembered? Nopony read the signs?"

"I did!" Star yelled. "I know exactly who you are! You're Solar Flare!"

"Oh! So somepony did know! Then tell me, why am I here?"

"You're here to… to…"

Solar Flare laughed manically. "Oh you will all remember this day as the day Equestria fell! Fell to ASHES! Prepare to be roasted little ponies! It's about to get _very_ hot in here!" With some more maniacal laughter she disappeared into flames. Star gulped audibly as all eyes were on him. He used his magic to grab Zephyr from Scribe's back and galloped at full speed back to the library.

"I can't believe it! You were right!" Zephyr said when they got there.

"Zephyr, you need to get some sleep, ok?" Star told the young griffon. She just yawned in response. He carried her (actually carried on his back, no magic) up to the loft bedroom and placed her in the little bed. He tucked her in and kissed her on the top of her head. He walked down the stairs and almost headed out the door. He was bombarded by the three ponies he had gotten to know over the past few days.

"Ok, what the hell was that about and how did you know about it and why didn't you tell us?!" Thunder just immediately started yelling at him.

"Listen, I need to go and fix all this. Can you please get out of my way?" Star attempted to shove past him, with little success. "Ok, I did some research and I told the princess and she told me to just not to worry about it. Now its happening and I have to go and get the elements of harmony to defeat her. Which are in the Everfree Forest."

Song spoke up now. "Well, let us come with you. Maybe we can help." Star sighed. He would hate to put anyone else in danger.

"Well it's not going to be easy, there's going to definitely be danger."

"I still want to come."

"Ok, you guys can come, but don't say I didn't warn you." And with that the four of them headed off, to find the elements of harmony and defeat Solar Flare.


	4. Solar Flare

Star walked silently along the dusty dirt road. He heard the other three ponies talking in a hushed whisper, but he just ignored it. The sun beat down on them and they were starting to sweat. They neared the Everfree Forest and although the sun seemed to be growing and everything was getting brighter, the Everfree Forest was still dark as night. Even Solar Flare couldn't mess with the Everfree Forest.

"I heard that things don't work like they do in Equestria in the Everfree Forest." Scribe stated.

"Well, we have to defeat Solar Flare, and the only way to do that is to go in." Thunder said. Star nodded in response.

"You guys don't have to come with if you don't want." Star said.

"No, we're coming. I-we want to help you." Song said.

"Well let's go." Thunder exclaimed and then pulled on ahead, walking straight into the eerie darkness. Followed by Scribe, Star, and then Song. Star looked back at Song and she smiled nervously at him. As the foursome walked along they absorbed every detail of what they saw. The plants themselves were like twisted versions of plants in Equestria. Thunder suddenly stopped and the rest of them lined up beside him. He had stopped at a cave, too dark to see beyond the entrance. Strange noises came from inside, like thousands of whales or something all making noise at once. Slowly, a long, scaly body emerged from within.

"That's-"

"A dragon." Thunder cut off Song. It raised its head with its long neck and yawned. With one look at the little ponies it opened its mouth and roared. The girls screamed and Star stepped back with them, terrified by what he saw. The mouth was caked in blood and he could smell it on his breath. Its scales were scratched and some were falling off, revealing red, raw skin. Its claws had a layer of blood and dirt on them.

Star and the girls huddled against a tree a few yards away. Thunder stood right in front of the dragon, seemingly unfazed by the grotesque features.

"Thunder, what are you doing?" Scribe whisper-yelled.

"Just trust me." He shouted back.

"What is he going to do?" Star asked.

"I don't know, probably kick it." Scribe said.

They watched as Thunder flew up to look it in the face. Star noticed the way its eyes were glazed over.

"Yep. He's going to kick it." Scribe said again. Star waited for it to attack him, now you can imagine his surprise at what happened next.

"What are you doing?" Thunder asked it in a firm voice. The three ponies jaws dropped and the dragon had a confused look on his face. "I'm serious. _What are you doing?!" _The beast started backing into the cave. "You have no reason to scare ponies like this! Now go back and ask yourself, _what are you doing?!" _The dragon was scared; you could see it in his face. He backed into the inky blackness of the cave and Thunder landed near his friends as they got up from their huddle.

"Wow. Nice job Thunder!" Scribe told the white pegasus. She walked past and on ahead.

"That was _incredible!_" Song said and then followed Scribe.

"Wow Thunder. I didn't know you had it in you." Star told him.

"Neither did I. I'll tell you a secret, I was scared to death."

"But you looked so brave!" Star couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Well no one has that much bravery. If you act like it though, everyone will believe you do, even you! That's called courage." Thunder followed the two mares deeper into the forest. Star stood for a moment, deep in thought. He galloped after the three ponies and continued walking.

Although it was dark the forest was heating up. They had to get to the elements of harmony before it was too late and Star was beginning to freak out. As they walked Star noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A small flame floating into the side of the cliff! He looked over, but there was nothing there. He just assumed he was under a lot of stress. He caught up with the rest of his group to get in on the conversation.

They were all incredibly surprised when the cliff gave out and they were sent down the side. Song was able to fly to save herself and Star used a spell to stop one boulder and he and Scribe landed on it. Thunder wasn't as lucky. He plummeted down, in too much shock to do anything about it.

"THUNDER!" Scribe screamed down after him. She jumped from the ledge and slid down, more controlled but still life-threatening, after Thunder. Star looked up at Song, who flew down closer to him. He slid his boulder down the hillside until he reached the bottom. At the bottom Thunder lay there, attempting to hide his pain. Scribe sat next to him, checking his wounds. She was checking his wing. He was covered in scrapes and bruises, but they were nothing compared to the strange way the wing was bent.

"It looks like the bones are snapped. Don't worry, you'll be ok." She spoke softly and sweetly. She used her magic to pluck a good amount of the nearby grass. She used a spell to turn it into a long, cloth-like paper. "This might hurt for just a second, but it's for a good reason." She gently pulled his wing out in full and began wrapping the cloth-paper around it.

"Thank you, Scribe." Thunder said, standing up. He gave her a quick hug and kept walking, although his spirits seemed to have gone down since the quartet had entered the forest.

"You're good, Scribe!" Song didn't seem too down like the others.

"Wow. That was really cool, how you did that for him." Star told the purple unicorn.

"Well yeah. Everyone needs a little love. Even manly Thunder." Star and Scribe followed the others. Thunder was telling Song how it "didn't even hurt that much." Star was deep in thought and was caught by surprise when a pack of timber wolves ran by, snapping their jaws and growling and howling. The four ponies screeched and started backing away, but Song was just a little too slow. One rammed straight into her, knocking her to the ground. It's hot breath blew in her face as it stood over her. Star was scared to death, Song was under attack! It surprised everyone when it ran away suddenly, taking a piece of the pegasus' dress with it. She stood up and shook herself off.

"That's it. We need to get out of here." Scribe said. "Its way too dangerous and already two of us have been injured!" Song had been scratched in the leg and she was bleeding profusely. Thunder nodded his head in agreement and Star hung his head in shame. He had allowed them to come with and put them in danger. It was his entire fault. Scribe and Thunder began walking away and Star just stood, feeling guilty.

"No." Song mumbled.

"What?" Thunder asked.

"I said no!" The ponies turned around to face Song. "We can't leave now! We made a promise to Starlight. Equestria is counting on us and we need to do this!"

"How are we supposed to help? We're a ragtag group of ponies from a tiny town most ponies haven't even heard of!" Thunder asked.

"Never doubt that a group of strong, smart ponies can change the world. We all have so much to offer here! Thunder, you are incredibly strong, physically and mentally! Scribe, you are so sweet and caring and you've stuck with me, even with all my flaws. And Star, even though we haven't known you long, I know that you are hardworking and smart! If we can all be a team, a group of good friends, we can accomplish this. We've faced danger in here, and we're still around. I think we can take anything the Everfree Forest or Solar Flare can throw at us. Are you with me?!"

The three ponies cheered and began walking ahead again, determined to find the elements of harmony to save Equestria. Star stopped when he reached Song though.

"Wow that was fantastic. I didn't know you were so smart as to lift pony's spirits like that." He told her.

"Well sometimes you need a little inspiration to keep you going." They continued walking.

"You certainly have a way with words."

"Thank you." She smiled and blushed. "Now you can't just do that to keep ponies going. You need to keep it up." Song trotted ahead of the group and began to sing. Everypony was happy, excited even. Before long they reached the ruins of an old castle.

"This is the place." Star said. Song stopped singing, but continued to softly hum the tune. They trotted in and the place looked less run down on the inside than the outside. In the middle of the room a great display/alter sort of thing sat there. There were three arms extending from the middle part and on top of each sat a stone ball with a gem shape carved in them. In the middle was a huge ball covered in vines.

"The elements of harmony." Star whispered. He used his magic to pick up the three and placed them on a little stage like area in front of the display/alter. "The book had said the last element would appear after a spark ignited the first few." He sat down and powered up his horn.

"We should let him concentrate." Scribe said. And they each left him to ignite the elements. Star was deep in concentration, his magic getting more powerful each second. He heard a laugh and looked up from the elements. Star backed up as a flame burst from within the triangle the elements had made on the floor. It became bigger, and as it disappeared Solar Flare stood there, laughing maniacally .

"You really thought you could defeat me?!" She said. "I'll give you credit Starlight, you learned about the elements and got through the Everfree Forest. But your journey ends here."

"You won't get away with this." Star said. He tried again to create the spark that would ignite the elements.

"Oh how cute! You think you still have a chance! Not so fast." Solar Flare powered up her magic. A white hot flame burst forth from her horn, engulfing the elements of harmony.

"NO!" Star shouted. It was too late. They were nothing but a pile of ashes.

Solar Flare laughed once again. "Yes! Now you will burn little ponies, you will burn! You will all burn alive and I will be rid of this place." Star began to back away. The red alicorn was spreading flames all around the room and he was doomed. Then he heard it. Hoof steps up the stairs.

"Starlight!" He heard Song's voice calling his name. He turned around and as he did, he felt something. Something inside of him changed in that moment. He turned back to Solar Flare, just as the three ponies that came with him burst in, just before the flames blocked the door.

"You think the elements of harmony can be destroyed that easily? Well you're wrong!" Solar Flare tried to hide her confusion. "The elements are all here, right here behind me!" The flames danced higher, pushing the ponies towards the center of the room. "The elements lie within the ponies with the strength and smarts to wield them! These are the true elements: Thunder Crack, who even though he knew the danger faced the dragon and pushed him back to his cave, represents the spirit of courage!" One of the ash piles rose up in a blue glow and placed themselves around his neck. "Scribe, who helped a friend in need and risked her life to do so, represents the spirit of love!" The next ash pile rose up in a mint green glow and placed them around her neck. "And Song Bird, who encouraged all of us to keep going with her amazing words and song, represents the spirit of inspiration!" The last pile rose up in a gold glow and placed them around her neck. "You can't destroy the elements of harmony Solar Flare. And the last element, it isn't awaked by a physical spark. It's awaked by the coming together of all the elements. When I heard Song's voice, it made me realize what I had been missing all along. Friendship. The last element resides within us all, earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike! The spirit of magic!" The large stone ball in the center of the display/alter glowed white, and turned into another pile of ashes. They gathered up and placed themselves on Star's head.

"NO! This isn't possible, I had everything planned out!" Solar Flare was starting to freak out.

"You're done." Star said simply. Each of the little ponies floated up and was glowing with the colors of their elements. Star's eyes opened and glowed a bright white. A rainbow aura burst from the four and covered a panicked Solar Flare. The flames disappeared and the ponies stood in the center of the ruins.

"Thunder, your wing!" Scribe shouted. Both of Thunder's wings popped up completely healed.

"Oh Song, it's beautiful!" Thunder called. Song's dress was fixed and even more shimmery than before.

"Thank you! It's cool how it fixed itself."

"No, your necklace!" She was wearing a silver necklace with a gold music note gem.

"Wow! You have one too!" She pointed and Thunder was wearing similar one. Silver with an electric blue cloud gem. "You too Scribe!" Scribe's was silver with a mint-green quill.

"They look like our cutie marks." Scribe giggled. "Whoa Star!" Star looked up where she was pointing. He was wearing a silver crown with a white star gem on top. The four of them giggled for a few more minutes before the table where the largest stone ball had sat just a few moments ago began glowing. The ponies looked up as Princess Twilight Sparkle materialized on the display/alter. Song, Scribe and Thunder bowed to her.

"Princess Twilight!" Star ran up as she stepped down and nuzzled her.

"Starlight. You have done a wonderful job. I am very proud of you. And your new friends!"

"Oh thank you Princess!" The princess looked over and all of them noticed for the first time a white alicorn lying on the ground.

"Princess Celestia…" Princess Twilight walked over to her and lay down next to her. The alicorn looked up at the princess. Her multicolored mane flowed as if it were a river, much like Twilight's did.

"My student." The new alicorn said weakly. Princess Twilight began to cry, tears streaming down her face so fast. "You have done so well. I am very proud of you."

"Princess, please don't leave me again. I have spent 5,000 years without you and seeing you now…" Twilight was having a hard time speaking through the tears. The other four ponies stood back, allowing this princess a moment with her old mentor.

"You know I can't stay. You have been able to rule this land for so long, and you must continue. Your new student is powerful; I know you will teach him as I taught you." Twilight nodded, unable to speak. "Thank you." This "Princess Celestia" was looking at Starlight.

"Me? What for?" He asked. The princess just closed her eyes and smiled, nodding slightly.

"Princess? Princess no! You can't leave!" Star had never seen the princess so vulnerable, so scared.

"You'll be fine. Good luck Twilight Sparkle." Princess Celestia became surrounded in a yellow glowing aura. All the ponies had to shield their eyes and when they looked back, she was gone. Princess Twilight stood up and composed herself.

"I'm sorry you all had to see me like that." She apologized. "Now I believe there was a Summer Sun Celebration going on?"

Star stood with his new friends in Ponyville's town square. All around him ponies threw flowers and pieces of cloth with suns on them at the princess's of harmony. Princess Twilight decided most things for Equestria, but she had five other princess's that were like royal advisers that helped her make decisions: Princess Rarity, Princess Rainbow Dash, Princess Fluttershy, Princess Applejack, and Princess Pinkie Pie. Twilight was taller and had flowing hair while the others didn't.

"Enjoying the celebration?" Princess Twilight walked up to Star and asked him.

"Well yes…"

"But…"

"Well it just means I'll have to leave Song, Scribe and Thunder."

"Well, how would you like to stay here and continue your studies in Ponyville?" she asked him.

"You mean it?" Star asked, very excited.

"Well, you must write me a letter each week telling me about your discoveries about friendship. Can you handle it?"

"Yes Princess. Thank you!" He nuzzled her and turned to his friends. "Did you hear guys? I get to stay here in Ponyville!" They all cheered and hugged him. Zephyr leaped from Star's back and onto his head.

"Yes! Song, maybe you can teach me how to fly!" She said.

"Sounds like a plan!" Song replied and then ruffled her feathers. She looked Star in the eyes. "I'm really glad you're staying." She said.

"Me too." He said. Scribe stood behind Song and Thunder stood behind Star. They nodded at each other and then shoved Song and Star together. Star's lips landed on Song's and they just stood like that for a moment, taking in what had just happened. Song pulled away and giggled a bit before Star pulled her in and kissed her again. Star pulled away slowly and looked her in the eyes.

"So, you want to um… Hang out, sometime?" Star asked.

"That would be awesome." She said, flashing that smile.


End file.
